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- for Cornelius Ryan 2 -
Your name W.B. WILLIAMS

Did you by any chance keep a diary of what happened to you that day? NO-
DIARIES WERE FORBIDEEN SO AS TO ELIMINATE POSSIBILITY OF
GIVING INFO TO GERMANS IN CASE OF CAPTURE.

Were any of your friends killed or wounded either during the landing or
during the day? MOST OF THEM.

Do you remember any conversations you had with them before they became
casualties? JUST WISHING EACH OTHER GOOD LUCK-
MOST OF THE OTHERS DIDN'T HAVE IT.

Were you wounded? YES. SEVERAL TIMES WITHIN A FEW MINUTES

Do you remember what it was like--that is, do you remember whether you
felt any pain or were you so surprised that you felt nothing? RIFLE BULLET
HURT WHEN IT HIT; GRENADE FRAGMENTS HAAD MORE OF A NUMBING
EFFECT. SURPRISE AND NEED TO ACT FAST [crossed out] VIRTU [end crossed out] MADE PAIN VIRTUALLY
UNNOTICEABLE.

Do you remember seeing or bearing anything that seems funny now, even
though it did not, of course, seem amusing at the time?
PRINICIPALLY MY OWN ACTIONS AND REACTIONS- THE THINGS I
FAILED TO DO BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK FAST ENOUGH. I WAS
SWAPPING GERNADES WITH A GERMAN IN A FOXHOLE. THE
POTATO MASHER GERNADES BEING THROWN OUT OF THE HOLE
COULD HAVE BEEN A COMIC SIGHT TO A DETACHED
BYSTANDER.

Do you recall any incident, sad or heroic, or simply memorable, which struck
you more than anything else? THE COMPLETE COMFUSION, THE NEED
TO NOT SO QUICKLY THAT I DIDNT TAKE TIME TO ORGANIZE
MYSELF AND MY MEN OR TO MAKE USE OF OUR TRAINING
STANDS OUT MOST. ONCE I WAS WOUNDED AND MY MEN
HAD GONE ON I SAT ON THE HILLSIDE OVERLOOKING
THE BEACH, BUT DIDN'T REALLY GET THE SIGNIFICANCE
OF MANY OF THE THINGS I SAW AND HEARD.